Remote intervention using smartphone for rural women suffering from premenstrual syndrome: A propensity score matched analysis

Factors Associated with Self-Management of Peritoneal Dialysis Patients in Urumqi of Xinjiang of China: A Cross-Sectional Survey

Purpose

To explore the factors associated with self-management of Peritoneal Dialysis (PD) patients and methods of acquiring PD knowledge.

Design

Cross-sectional survey design.

Setting

Urumqi, Xinjiang, China.

Patients

131 Chinese maintenance Peritoneal Dialysis (PD) patients.

Methods

This cross-sectional study was conducted from October 2019 to March 2020 in the First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University of China. 131 PD patients were recruited. Data were collected, including demographic characteristics, clinical dialysis data, self-management ability scale, and methods to obtain PD knowledge. A self-management questionnaire was used for the evaluation of self-management ability.

Results

The score of the self-management ability of PD patients in Xinjiang, China, was (57.6±13.7) points, which was at the middle level in China. There was no statistically significant difference in the self-management ability scores of patients with different ages, sex, ethnicity, marital status, pre-dialysis status, PD time, PD procedures, self-care ability, PD satisfaction, and 24-hour average urine output (P>0.05). There were significant differences in the self-management ability scores of patients with different education levels, occupations, and medical insurance forms (P<0.05). The self-management ability of PD patients was positively correlated with the disease course of uremia and attending lectures on PD knowledge (P<0.05). The main factor affecting self-management ability was education level. There 73.28% of patients considered that it was necessary to establish a WeChat group for PD patients, and 65.7% believed that establishing a WeChat group for PD patients could facilitate communication between patients and enhance treatment confidence.

Conclusion

The study surveyed PD patients who have certain self-management ability. For patients with different education levels, different health education methods should be adopted to promote the improvement of patients' self-management ability. Furthermore, WeChat is essential for Chinese PD patients to obtain disease-related information.

Moving online: Implementation of virtual sessions of physical activity and movement training as a therapeutic approach to premenstrual symptoms

Background

Aerobic exercise and movement training improve premenstrual syndrome (PMS) symptoms in women. However, the data is still preliminary, and online-based training has not been evaluated yet. Thus, this pilot study aims to assess the workability and usefulness of an online protocol based on aerobic exercise and movement training as an intervention for premenstrual symptoms.

Methods

A sample of 30 women from the general population was enrolled in this study, with an average age of 28.27 ± 9.35, and an average BMI of 23.47 ± 3.42 kg/m². A total of 29 women completed an eight-week online protocol consisting of 30-min aerobic exercises twice a week, as well as a weekly 30-min movement training protocol. A psychological evaluation was conducted at the baseline and after completing the training via the patients' health questionnaire, the body weight image and self-esteem questionnaire, and the premenstrual symptoms screening tool, looking for changes in well-being and specific symptoms related to menses.

Results

Significant improvements in PMS (p = .015) and mood (p = .011) were recorded, with specific mood effects related to PMS symptomatology. The patients provided positive feedback on the protocol, and adherence was optimal.

Conclusion

The effectiveness of a combination of aerobic and isometric exercises was confirmed as a valuable tool in improving women's well-being and reducing premenstrual symptomatology, even if the protocol is delivered online, which tends to be more affordable for the participants than in-presence sessions. Future studies might assess the difference between online programs and face-to-face interventions.

The effect of a social network-based cognitive behavioral therapy intervention on the severity of premenstrual syndrome symptoms: a protocol of a randomized clinical trial study

Background

Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is one of the most widespread menstrual disorders in women of reproductive age. This recurrent syndrome is a combination of physically, mentally, or behaviorally disturbing changes occurring during the secretory phase of the menstrual cycle. The aim of this study is to determine the effect of a cognitive-behavioral therapy-based educational intervention using social networks on PMS in female health center employees in Rudbar, Iran.

Methods/design

A randomized superiority controlled trial will be conducted involving 140 female employees of health centers affiliated with the Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rudbar. The study involves a block size of 4 and 6 in a randomly varied order, 140 women who meet all the inclusion criteria will be randomly and equally divided into 2 groups: the intervention and the control groups. Those in the former group will receive a cognitive-behavioral therapy-based treatment for eight consecutive weeks on the social network platform WhatsApp; however, those in the control group will not be offered any treatment except usual care practices (unprotocolized usual care). The study’s primary outcome is the severity of PMS symptoms, and the secondary outcomes include general self-efficacy, work-related quality of life, the impact of PMS on daily life, coping with the symptoms, and experiencing anxiety and depression at the beginning of the study to identify people with PMS. A daily record of the symptoms will be completed for two consecutive months by all female employees aged 20–45 years who wish to participate in the study. According to the initial screening, those with moderate to severe PMS will be included. We will use the MLwin software for the analyses. All questionnaires will be completed by both groups immediately and 8 weeks after the termination of the treatment. The data will be analyzed using linear mixed-effects modeling with random intercepts and slopes.

Discussion

It is anticipated that the findings of the present study may demonstrate the effectiveness of the cognitive behavioral therapy intervention on the severity of PMS symptoms that could guide healthcare providers in opting for suitable treatment alternatives for the syndrome.

Ethics and dissemination

The research proposal is approved by the Human Ethics Committee of Qazvin University of Medical Sciences (IR.QUMS.REC.1399.252). The results of this intervention trial will be submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed research journal.

Trial registration

Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials IRCT20180218038789N4. Registered prospectively on October 28, 2020

Association of fine-particulate and acidic-gas air pollution with premenstrual syndrome risk

OBJECTIVE

Air pollution had been reported to be associated with the reproductive health of women. However, the association of particulate matter (PM) and acid gases air pollution with premenstrual syndrome (PMS) warrants investigation. This study investigated the effects of air pollution on PMS risk.

POPULATION

We combined data from the Taiwan Air Quality-Monitoring Database and the Longitudinal Health Insurance Database. In total, an observational cohort of 85 078 Taiwanese women not diagnosed as having PMS.

METHODS

Air pollutant concentrations were grouped into four levels based on the concentration quartiles of several types of air pollutants.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

We then applied univariable and multivariable Cox proportional hazard regression models to assess PMS risk in association with each pollutant type.

RESULTS

Women exposed to Q4-level SO2 exhibited a 7.77 times higher PMS risk compared with those to Q1-level SO2 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 6.22-9.71). Women exposed to Q4-level NOx exhibited a 2.86 times higher PMS risk compared with those exposed to Q1-level NOx (95% CI = 2.39-3.43). Women exposed to Q4-level NO exhibited a 3.17 times higher PMS risk compared with women exposed to Q1-level NO (95% CI = 2.68-3.75). Finally, women exposed to Q4-level PM with a ≤2.5-µm diameter (PM2.5) exhibited a 3.41 times higher PMS risk compared with those exposed to Q1-level PM2.5 (95% CI = 2.88-4.04).

CONCLUSIONS

High incidences of PMS were noted in women who lived in areas with higher concentrations of SO2, NOx, NO, NO2 and PM2.5.

Short report: cognitive behavioral therapy - a primary mode for premenstrual syndrome management: systematic literature review

Most women in reproductive age experience at least one premenstrual syndrome (PMS) symptom every month over many years, and about 5% experience significant impairment, requiring professional intervention. Offering effective and sustainable treatment, is essential. While research acknowledges the effectiveness of nonpharmacological methods, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and lifestyle modifications, as a treatment alternative, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors or hormonal ovulation suppression continue to be recommended as a first-line treatment. We hypothesize that nonpharmacological methods will be sufficient for effective and sustainable PMS management. A systematic literature review was conducted for peer-reviewed original studies with the search terms: CBT, psychoeducation, PMS and premenstrual dysphoric disorder. All 32 identified studies found a significant reduction in PMS to complete remission with nonpharmacological interventions. No side effects were reported, and positive effect was sustained over time. Psychoeducational self-help packages, delivered with the affordance of modern technology, appeared to be enough for most women to manage successfully their PMS distress. Most severe PMS forms required one-to-one CBT. Nonpharmacological methods can be recommended as the primary mode for PMS management. More high-quality research is required, for developing personalized self-help packages, as well as the full use of modern technology for delivering the service.

A systematic review of mobile health interventions in China: Identifying gaps in care

INTRODUCTION

Mobile health has a promising future in the healthcare system in most developed countries. China's rapidly developing mobile technology infrastructure offers an unprecedented opportunity for wide adoption of mobile health interventions in the delivery of effective and timely healthcare services. However, there is little data on the current extent of the mobile health landscape in China. The aim of this study was to systematically review the existing mobile health initiatives in China, characterise the technology used, disease categories targeted, location of the end user (urban versus rural), and examine the potential effects of mobile health on health system strengthening in China. Furthermore, we identified gaps in development and evaluation of the effectiveness of mobile health interventions.

METHODS

A systematic review of the literature published from 18 December 2015 - 3 April 2019 was conducted and yielded 2863 articles from English and Chinese retrieval database and trial registries, including PubMed, EMBASE, China National Knowledge of Infrastructure and World Health Organization International Clinical Trials Registry Platform. Studies were included if they used mobile health to support patient healthcare outcomes.

RESULTS

A total of 1129 full-text articles were assessed and 338 were included in this study. The review found that most studies targeted client education and behaviour change via applications (apps) (65.4%), including WeChat, and text messaging (short text messages) (19.8%) to improve patient medical treatment outcomes such as compliance and appointment reminders. The most common disease-specific mobile health interventions focused primarily on chronic disease management and behaviour change in cardiology (13.3%), endocrinology/diabetes (12.1%), behavioural health (11.8%), oncology (11.2%) and neurology (6.8%). The mobile health interventions related to nutrition (0.6%) and chronic respiratory diseases (1.6%) are underrepresented in mobile health in comparison to the burden of disease in China. The majority (90.0%) of the mobile health interventions were conducted exclusively in urban areas, with few opportunities reaching rural populations.

CONCLUSIONS

Overall, mobile health has a promising future in China, with recent rapid growth in initiatives. The majority are focused on education and behaviour change in the realm of chronic diseases and target patients in urban areas. The imbalance in mobile health between the urban and rural areas, as well as between population disease spectrum and health service delivery, pose substantial dilemmas. However, mobile health may be redirected to correct this imbalance, possibly improving access to healthcare services, and filling the gaps in order to improve health equity for the underserved populations in China.

Family-based intervention for patients with type 2 diabetes via WeChat in China: protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Background

China has the largest number of cases of diabetes with a high rate of uncontrolled blood sugar. Many studies show that family members’ involvement is related to better glycemic control. However, there is a significant problem with low participation of family members. The widespread use of WeChat provides an opportunity for family members to support their diabetic loved ones in their type 2 diabetes self-management practices. The main aim of this study is to examine the effectiveness of a family-based intervention via WeChat.

Methods

A parallel, two-group, randomized controlled trial will be conducted in the central urban area of Jiading district in Shanghai, China. A total of 222 type 2 diabetics will be randomly divided into an intervention group or a control group using a 1:1 ratio. Patients in the intervention group will receive the usual care, and their family will get education in diabetes control and the importance of family support by subscribing to the WeChat public account. Both the patients and the family members will be followed up at 12 months after the intervention commences. Data collection is scheduled at baseline, 6-months, and 12-months.

Discussion

Family involvement based on WeChat may generate ongoing support for type 2 diabetic patients and improve these patients’ health outcomes. A successful outcome of this study may also provide inspiration for other efforts to provide health education via WeChat.

Trial registration

ChiCTR1900020736. Registered 15 January 2019.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1186/s12889-019-6702-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.